Orbital Sciences Corp. is suing Centennial-based United Launch Alliance for up to $1.5 billion in damages on claims that ULA violated antitrust laws by thwarting rocket engine sales to Orbital and by trying to monopolize medium-sized domestic space launches.

Orbital Sciences, based in Dulles, Va., filed the lawsuit June 20 in federal district court in Virginia.

ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp. and the Boeing Co. It is the largest provider of launches for government space payloads.

Orbital’s lawsuit claims that ULA and RD Amross, ULA’s engine supplier for its Atlas rockets, have prevented Orbital from buying the RD-180 liquid propulsion engines for Orbital’s Antares medium-lift rockets, citing an exclusivity arrangement the two have over the RD-180 engines.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has opened an anti-trust investigation into the RD-180 engine issue as well.

ULA said it's cooperating with the FTC and defends its purchase contracts.

"ULA’s contracts to purchase the RD-180 engine are lawful and designed to provide the most reliable launch vehicle possible for critical U.S. Government missions. Due to the impending litigation, it would be inappropriate for us to comment on specifics," spokesman ULA Chris Chavez in a prepared statement.

Orbital has launched more than 100 small payloads for NASA and other U.S. government agencies, and it’s developing the Antares rocket for launching larger payloads.

Orbital, along with Space Exploration Technologies, won 2008 NASA contracts to fly medium-lift rockets on unmanned resupply missions to the International Space Station.

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